caliph

or ca·lif

[ key-lif, kal-if ]
See synonyms for caliph on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad.

  2. any of the former Muslim rulers of Baghdad (until 1258) and of the Ottoman Empire (from 1571 until 1924).

Origin of caliph

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English caliphe, califfe, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin calipha, from Arabic khalīf(a) “successor (of Muhammad),” derivative of khalafa “succeed”
  • Also ka·lif, ka·liph; kha·lif [kuh-leef, key-lif, kal-if], /kəˈlif, ˈkeɪ lɪf, ˈkæl ɪf/, kha·li·fa [kuh-lee-fuh] /kəˈli fə/ .

Other words from caliph

  • cal·iph·al [kal-uh-fuhl, key-luh-], /ˈkæl ə fəl, ˈkeɪ lə-/, adjective

Words Nearby caliph

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use caliph in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caliph

caliph

calif, kalif or khalif

/ (ˈkeɪlɪf, ˈkæl-) /


noun
  1. Islam the title of the successors of Mohammed as rulers of the Islamic world, later assumed by the Sultans of Turkey

Origin of caliph

1
C14: from Old French, from Arabic khalīfa successor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012